Project Gutenberg 2008-10-12 Public domain in the USA. 177 La Motte, Ellen N. (Ellen Newbold) 1873 1961 Motte, Ellen N. la (Ellen Newbold) La Motte, Ellen Newbold 16020883 The Backwash of War The Human Wreckage of the Battlefield as Witnessed by an American Hospital Nurse Produced by Meredith Bach, René Anderson Benitz and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) "The Backwash of War" by Ellen N. La Motte is a collection of poignant sketches and observations written in the early 20th century. The book gives a firsthand account of the grim realities faced by military hospital nurses during World War I, focusing on the human toll of warfare and the psychological struggles of those caught in its wake. Through the experiences of a hospital nurse in a field hospital behind the front lines in Belgium, the work explores themes of heroism, despair, and the often unnoticed suffering that accompanies battle. At the start of the book, La Motte introduces the bleak atmosphere of a military field hospital, outlining the monotony mixed with moments of chaos that characterize the life there. The opening sketch portrays the harrowing experience of a wounded soldier who attempted suicide after being captured as a deserter. The narrative delves into the complexities of military life, reflecting on the attitudes of both the medical staff and the soldiers as they confront the futility and madness of war. The nurse's reflections prompt deep questions about ideals, courage, and the definition of heroism amid the carnage, capturing the heart-wrenching reality of those left to manage the aftermath—the "backwash"—of warfare, where the true human cost is laid bare. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 79.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals, charities, etc. World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives D501 Text World War I Banned Books from Anne Haight's list Category: History - Modern (1750+) Category: History - Warfare 191047 2025-07-11T06:49:06.209966 text/html 192238 2021-01-04T05:45:07 text/html 154995 2025-07-11T06:49:12.236931 application/epub+zip 154434 2025-07-11T06:49:08.962055 application/epub+zip 132688 2025-07-11T06:49:07.836953 application/epub+zip 287359 2025-07-11T06:49:14.807940 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 255891 2025-07-11T06:49:11.505962 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 249445 2022-09-12T11:46:39.200596 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 162666 2025-07-11T06:49:05.728974 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 162461 2021-01-04T05:45:07 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 162467 2021-01-04T05:45:07 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 22275 2025-07-11T06:49:14.937912 application/rdf+xml 13128 2025-07-11T06:49:08.324955 image/jpeg 3405 2025-07-11T06:49:08.078953 image/jpeg 61274 2021-01-04T05:45:07 application/octet-stream application/zip 77095 2021-01-04T05:45:07 application/octet-stream application/zip 61203 2021-01-04T05:45:07 application/octet-stream application/zip 146735 2025-07-11T06:49:06.232966 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia